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G.I. Jobs magazine designates Penn State a Military Friendly School

G.I. Jobs magazine designates Penn State a Military Friendly School

The honor recognizes the University’s initiatives to make a Penn State education more accessible to military service-members and veterans

University Park, Pa. — G.I. Jobs magazine has named Penn State a Military Friendly School for 2011. It is the second time the publication based in Pittsburgh, Pa., has recognized the University’s initiatives to help military service-members and veterans pursue an education through World Campus, the University’s online campus. The magazine first designated Penn State a Military Friendly School in 2010.

“Continuing their education while serving in the military can be a challenge for service-members, who move frequently and are deployed in war zones,” said Wayne Smutz, executive director of Penn State World Campus and associate vice president for academic outreach. “That’s why Penn State is committed to making a Penn State education more accessible to both military service-members and veterans. Of Penn State’s 24 campus locations, the World Campus is the most popular campus for military veterans because of the flexibility and convenience offered by distance education, as many veterans are also working adults with families. We are grateful for this recognition by G.I. Jobs.”

According to G.I. Jobs, there are 8 million military service-members and veterans seeking a school where they can get an education. As a Military Friendly School, Penn State ranks in the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide. The “2011 Guide to Military Friendly Schools” will be published in September, and a listing of these institutions also will be available at http://www.MilitaryFriendlySchools.com/ online.

Penn State is a recipient of this designation because it has a dedicated Admissions and Advising Team for military and veteran students whose members understand the special requirements of these students, as well as other support services. One is a military grant-in-aid that reduces the public tuition rate by 42 percent for all undergraduate courses and programs. The grant is available to all members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Penn State also is participating in the Veterans Administration Yellow Ribbon Program.

In addition, military and veteran students can receive academic credit for MOSs, Rates, AFSC and Military Training Schools work, as well as DANTES courses and Subject Standardized Tests and U.S. Armed Forces Institute courses. The Outreach Testing Center at University Park campus also offers College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams from The College Board which award academic credit to students for prior learning.

Previously, the University’s efforts to help and support military and veteran students have been recognized with the 2009 Ray Ehrensberger Award for Institutional Excellence in Military Education. Military Advanced Education also has included World Campus in its annual “Guide to America’s Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities” for the last two years.

Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering more than 70 of Penn State’s most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats. Founded in 1998, Penn State World Campus is the University’s 25th campus serving more than 9,600 students in all 50 states and 62 countries. For more information, visit http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/ online. Penn State World Campus is part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 114 countries worldwide.